It's-a-Pizza-Pie!

This past Saturday I made my first pizza from scratch. Other than having problems with the yeast I bought, it turned out pretty good! I used a recipe for the crust that my Dad gave me and I got an idea for a very different kind of pizza here.


I love grapes, I love goat cheese, I love pizza. This really sounded like an interesting combo served in an interesting way, so I decided to go for it. My cousin made a carmalized onion and goat cheese pizza (get the recipe here) that also turned out great!

Dough Recipe:

1pkg dry yeast (dissolve in 1 cup luke warm water, let stand 5-10 minutes)

3 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

cornmeal

I had such a problem with the yeast, I plan to not use dry again for some time. When my first batch of dough didn’t rise at ALL, I caved and made another 7 cups of flour later, still no dough that will rise . I called my Dad, and he said I probably got bad yeast. I guess if it isn’t stored properly in transit or at the store it will pretty much not work at all.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a well in center of flour and gradually work 1/2 the yeast mixture into well with your fingers. Add 2 Tbs oil and gradually work in remaining yeast mixture. Add Tbs or more water if needed to make dough soft and smooth.

Turn onto flat surface and knead vigorously for at least 10 minutes (or with dough hook on mixer for 7-8 minutes).

Shape into ball, place in greased bowl and cover w/ damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let rise to doubled in bulk (45-60 minutes). *If you're luckier than I am!*

Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half into 13-14 inch circle.



There is nothing more disappointing that checking to see how much your dough has risen, to find it is still the same small blob you plopped in the bowl one hour prior. Ok, there are more disappointing things, but not many! Stupid yeast. Luckily, the crust turned out ok when we baked the pizzas, though it was a little hard to roll out (thanks for all the rolling, Steph!).

We made mini-calzones with the first batch of dough that hadn't risen, and although they weren’t great, neither my cousin nor I would want to eat them again. I’m thinking if we put more thought into them it might work though. The dough was a bit thick, but the insides were still delicious. We used sautéed onions and red pepper with garlic and basil.

After that ordeal, it was time to make some pizza! Here is the recipe for the grapes and goat cheese one. It's a good idea to prepare your toppings while the dough is rising.


Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups green or red grapes, halved
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound store-bought pizza dough ( I used the homemade)
8 ounces soft goat cheese
*I also added 1 tsp truffle oil

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium, or the oven to 450° F. Toss together the grapes, rosemary, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; set aside. I love that I can go into the next room and pick rosemary off my own plant, when cooking with it! I’ve heard that wintering rosemary can be difficult, but so far my plant is toughing it out. As soon as the weather is warm, I will transfer it back to the back yard.

These grapes looked heavenly!

Divide the dough into thirds and stretch each portion into a 10-inch circle. ( I just used enough to fit my 2 large pans.) Place the rounds on the grill or in the oven until cooked through, about 6 minutes, flipping each halfway through if using a grill. I have ventilated pizza pans, which really helps keep the crust crisp! I sprinkled cornmeal on them (after using cooking spray) so the dough wouldn’t stick. When making a pizza with sauce, you can also lightly coat it with oilve oil, to keep the crust crisper.


Distribute the grapes, spoonfuls of the goat cheese, and the remaining olive oil on the pizzas. Cover the grill (if using) and heat until the cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes. I let mine go for about 6 minutes, to let the goat cheese melt a bit more. I’ve found that goat cheese seems to be one of the slowest melting soft cheeses!

Enjoy!